Pegboard toy



July "v8, 1952 H, swlRKAL 2,602,263

PEGBORD TOY Filed July 27, 1951 H050 L 5h/72ML IN1/Enron Patented July 8, 1952 l UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE PEGBOARD TOY Hugo L. swirkal, Los Angeles, Calif. E Application July 27, 1951, Serial No. 238,885

9 Claims.

This invention relates generally to the toy art'an'd more particularly to a peg board toy in which pegs are driven by a mallet or the like through peg holes in a board. Specically, the invention pertains to improvements in peg board toys of the type disclosed in my pending application, Serial No. 90,718, led April 30, 1949, for peg board, toy, now Patent No. 2,564,348.

Toys of the character referred to above are exceedingly popular with small children, the toyY being not onlyV amusing to the children but also a test of their dexterity. Peg boards heretofore employed have several disadvantages, the most important being that the pegs become worn and the holes through which the pegs are driven become enlarged so that eventually the pegs are notfrictionally held in the holes and are quite apt to slide therethrough. When this condition prevails, the toy becomes useless and is usually discarded. In addition, it is rather diflicult to manufacture such conventional peg boards so that th'empegs initially have the proper fit in the holes, the reason being that the peg stock, which is purchased in finished form, may vary in Vdiameter due to`inaccurate turning of the wood, shrinkage, etc. Moreover, lcertain woods have varying degrees of `hardness and thus possss ldifferent wear resisting qualities. Another faultuof previous devices of this vgeneral type is that the pegs may be driven clear through the peg board and thuscompletely ejected from the board andthis frequently results in misplacement and loss of the pegs. In the highly competitive eld of toy production, it is essential that the manufacturing costs be maintained at a minimum so that the toy may be sold at a low price. C'onsequently, the manufacture of conventional peg board toys hasbeen continued andthe many disadvantages referred to above have ,been tolerated in order to oier the toy at a low cost to the purchaser.

It is an object of this invention to provide a toy' of the peg board type which, though it Vpossessesmany improvementsand added parts, may be.A manufactured byY mass production methods and sold ata price comparable to thatjoi lcon'- ventional peg board toys.l

` Another object is to provide `a toy of the peg board type which includes peg board means hav: ingmeans incorporated therein for offering fric-` tional resistance tomovement of thepegs in the 'peg holes or openingsso that they may beV driven through the holesonlyy when' impact force'of prev determined magnitude is appliedthereagainst.

s. object is best` attained; by; providing ,a peg l their axial movement in the holes.

35 elements.

(Cl. i6-1) 2 Y board composed of a plurality of peg board elements resiliently mounted for movement toward and away from one another and having cooperating notches in their facing edges defining the 5 peg holes or openings in which the pegs are adapted to be driven, the device having spring means operative to normally force the elements together so as to apply lateral pressure against the pegs and thus oer frictional resistance to By this means, Wear of the pegs or Wear of the Wood surrounding the peg holes is automatically compensated for and a rm engagement of the pegs is assured.

Another object is to provide la toy of the class referred tohaving two sets of peg'board elements whichrare yieldingly spread apart, to maintain their individual elements in juxtaposition, by means of a Vpair of springs compressed between the sets of elements, the springs being retained in holes or pockets in the adjacent elements of the tWo sets. By this structure, all the peg board elements are positively urged together, to frictonally grip the pegs in the openings,

by the use of but two springs and this makes for economy of manufacture.

Another object is to provide a toy of the-type specified which includes a pair of Aupright end members and a pair of longitudinal side rails secured to and extending between the end memvtype in which all the board elements of each set of elements can be cut from a piece of 'stock of the same size as the end members so that -all the Wooden parts of the frame can be madeY from the samestandard size stock to reduce the over-all cost of the'article.

VAnother important object is 'to provldefa peg board toy in which each of the peg board elements is provided with right-angular Vnotches which cooperate' with those of an adjacent element to Iprovide 'substantially square peg openings; in which square pegs, having rounded corners, are disposed and adapted to be driven by means of a mallet or like hammering tool; By thisVV important improvement, the pegs maybe 5 5 madeirrbm board VorY strip stoel:Y at a fraction oi the cost of producing conventional round pegs from expensive dowel stock. In addition, it has been found that greater frictional resistance to sliding movement of the pegs in the peg holes is effected when the pegs and openings are of square cross-sectional shape, the nat interengaging surfaces increasing the frictional contact and the pegs tending to wedge in the V-shaped notches. Thus, it is possible to employ lighter, less expensive springs for closing the peg board elements together and this results in a further saving in the cost of manufacture. Moreover, as will be readily apparent to those versed in the art, the V-shaped notches may be cut simultaneously in the edges of a plurality off the board elements by a gang of saws at a fraction of the cost of drilling circular peg holes, as is the case in conventional peg board toys.

A further object is to provide a toy of the type indicated in which is embodied a simple stop means for limiting sliding movement of the pegs in the peg openings, in either direction, so as to prevent displacement of the pegs from the board and possible loss of the pegs. This object is best attained by simply routing a longitudinal groove or depression in a side of each square peg and driving a small nail into a side of one of the notches forming a peg opening, the end of the nail projecting into the groovel and being engageable with the ends of the same to limit the vertical movement of the peg.

A still further object isto provide a peg board toy which is especially attractive in appearance, strong and durable in use, very economical to manufacture bymass-production methods, and one which may be easily operated by small children, without fear of pinching their fingers between the relatively movable parts.

Further objects will appear from the following specification and from the drawing, whichis intended for the purpose of illustration only, and in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of my improved peg board toy;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View through the toy, taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken on line 3--3 of Fig. l;

Fig-4 is a fragmentary plan View of a portion of a pair of adjacent board elements, showing the ends, the vertical side edges of the end members are providedV with horizontal slots l2: Connected to and extending between the endv members i and ii are Side rails l5. These rails are preferably made `as aluminum extruded T-sections having Vertical flanges or webs I6 and horizontal tongues or ns VI,V as best shown'in Fig.y 3. The portions of the ns llwhich are disposed at the ends of the rails I5 are received in the slots l2 of thel end, members, and; wood plained above, the toy is ready for use.

4 a strong and stable rectangular frame structur, the engagement of the fins Il in the slots precluding relative twisting of the parts.

The side rails i5 provide supports for the lateral edge portions of a peg board which, as shown, comprises a plurality of wooden strips which are relatively slidable, longitudinally of the side rails. The peg board comprises two sets 20 and 2l of three board elements which are identilied as outer elements 22` and 23, inner velements 2d and 25, and intermediate elements 26 and 2l interposed between the inner and outer elements. Each element 22 to 27 is provided with a horizontalV groove 28 in each of its lateral edges, these grooves receiving the ns l1 of the side rails I5. Thus, the elements 22 to 2l are supported by the side rails and are slidable toward and away from the'end members i9 and Il and relative to one another. Preferably, although not necessarily, the-outer elements 22 and 23ers secured tothe end members lil and I i by means of woodscrews 29. The board elements of each set 20 and. 2|v are cut from a board of the same sizeas the end members l0 and l! and by this provision, the production of the toys is. greatly simplified.

Each board element or wooden strip 22 to 2 1 is provided with a pair of V-shaped notches 30 in at least one side edge thereof,y the notches having inclined sides extending at right angles to each other. The notches 3B are providedlin the adjacent sides of the elements and togethery form substantially square peg holes or openings 3i. The board elements of each setl areV maintained in juxtaposition and forced toward the respective end members l0 and il by meansof coil springs 33 which, as shown in Fig. 2, are com pressed betweenithe inner elements 24 and 25 withv their ends held in pockets 34 in these elements. Due to the inherent extensibility ofthe springs 33, each element is urged toward'an4 ald-I jacent element to reduce the size of the-peg openings to somewhat less than the size of a true square. 7,- 1 Y Pegs 35 of square cross section are adapted to be disposed in each peg opening 3l and to b e frictionally retained therein due to theaction of the'springs 33 in closing the elements together. The pegs 35, lwhich have rounded corners, are inserted in the peg openings by rst forcing the elements apart against the action of the springs 33 to increase the size of the openings and then sliding the pegs into place. When the board elements are released, theAV springs function to force the elements toward one another so as to grip the pegs in the peg openings and create suificient frictional resistance to vertical sliding of the pegs. Y

After-the parts have been assembled as ex- Y Y By the use of a wooden mallet 36, or the like, a child may hammer against the upper ends of the pegs to .drive the latter downwardly in the pegr openings., the frictional resistance offered by the en'- gagement of the*y flatsides of the pegs along the ilatsides of the notches 30 retarding the downward movement of the pegs and making it necessary.` to strike with considerablel impact. After. thepegs have been driven downwardly, the ty lis inverted and thejpegs are driven back in the opposite direction. f Aspointed out previously, vone of the disadvantages of conventional peg board toys isf'that it isfpossible to drive or pulllthe pegs vf the mayconstitute a khazard when left'ori the llo'r,

5, and they may become lost. To obviate this condition, I provide stop means for preventing withdrawal of the pegs from the board. Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, this stop means includes a vertical groove or recess routed in one of the vertical sides of each peg 35. A small nail 39 is driven into one of the faces of each notch 30 with its small head projecting from said face in position to be received in the groove 38 of a peg inserted into'the peg opening. The nail head is adapted to engage the ends of the groove 38 to limit the movement of the peg in either direction and thus is effective in preventing removal of the peg from the peg board. Thus, by this extremely simple and inexpensive means, loss of the pegs from the toy is avoided.

As will be apparent, the general structure of the toy as described above is applicable to peg board toys wherein conventional round dowel pegs are employed. However, for the reasons discussed herein, the use of square pegs is much preferred. Referring now to Fig. 7, it is within the concept of my invention to utilize a round metal peg 42 having a point 43 at one end and a head 44 at its opposite end. This peg is, in effect, a large nail which may be driven through a round peg opening, the point 43 being iirst inserted in the contracted peg opening and the nail then driven by striking the head 44, the board elements being forced apart by this action to permit such movement of the nail. After the peg nail 42 has been thus driven, it may be removed by the child by the use of the claw portion of a hammer which is operated in the usual manner. The toy is thus made even more fascinating to the young workman since the operation simulates that employed in carpentry.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of operation of my device, together with components which I consider to represent the best embodiments thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the invention may be carried out by further modiiied means, within the spirit of the invention. if@

I claim as my invention:

1. A peg board toy, comprising: a pair of spaced, vertical end members; a pair of parallel side rails connected to and extending longitudinally between said end members; at least two sets of peg board elements supported by and extending transversely between said side rails, each set including an outer element abutting the inner side of one said end members, an inner element disposed substantially midway between said end members, and an intermediate element arranged between said outer and inner elements, the abutting edges of said elements having aligned vertical grooves together defining peg openings; interengaging slide means on said side rails and said peg board elements permitting longitudinal sliding movement of the latter toward and away from said end members; pegs disposed in said peg openings and adapted to be driven vertically therein;l and springmeans disposed between and engaging the inner elements of said sets of elements and operative to force said sets apart and toward a said end member, said spring means tending to yieldingly maintain the elements of each set in close juxtaposition so as to reduce the cross-sectional size of said peg openings and thus effect frictonal resistance to vertical movement of said pegs in said openings. i

2. A peg board toy. comprising: a pair oi 6 spaced, parallel, vertical end members; a pair of parallel side rails connected to and extending longitudinally between said end members; at least two sets of peg board elements supported by and extending transversely between said side rails, each set including an outer element abutting the inner side of one of said end members,` an inner element disposed substantially midway between said end members, and an intermediate element arranged between said outer and inner elements, the abutting edges of said elements having aligned vertical grooves together defining peg openings; interengaging tongue-and-groove slide means -on said side rails and said peg board elements permiting sliding movement of the latter toward and away from said end members; pegs disposed in said openings and adapted to be driven vertically therein; and spring means disposed between and engaging the inner elements of said sets of elements and operative to force said sets apart and toward a said end member, said spring means tending to yieldingly maintain the elements of each set in close juxtaposition so as to reduce the cross-sectional size of said peg openings and thus effect frictional resistance to vertical movement 0f said pegs in said openings.

3. A peg board toy, comprising: a pair of parallel, spaced, vertical end members; a pair of parallel side rails connected to and extending longitudinally between said end members, each4 side rail having a longitudinally extending rib; at least two sets of peg board elements supported by and extending transversely between said side rails, each set including an outer element abutting the inner side of one of said end members, an inner element disposed substantially midway between said end members, and an intermediate element arranged between said outer and inner elements, the abutting edges of said elements having aligned vertical grooves together defining peg openings, each of said elements having horizontal grooves in its lateral edges receiving said ribs of said side rails to permit sliding movement of said elements toward and away from sai'd end members; and spring means disposed between and engaging the inner elements of said sets of elements and operative to force said sets apart and toward a said end member, said spring means tending to yieldingly maintain the elements of each set in close juxtaposition so as to reduce the cross-sectional size of said peg openings and thus effect frictional resistance to vertical movement of said pegs in said openings.

4. A toy as defined in claim 3 in which said spring means comprises a pair of coil springs having their ends seated in pockets provided in the facing edges of said inner elements of each set, said springs being compressed therebetween.

5. A toy as dened in claim 3 in which each side rail is T-shaped in cross section and has a vertical iiange and a horizontal rib, the ribs of said rails being directed toward each other.

6. A toy as deiined in claim 3 in which each of said grooves in said peg board elements is ninetydegree angular and defines, Vwith the corresponding groove of an adjacent element, a substantially square peg opening, and in which said pegs are of square cross-sectional shape, the'corners oi'r the square pegs being rounded.

'7. A toy as deiined in claim 3 including interengaging stop means on said peg board elements and said pegs for limiting vertical movement of ts liid pegs in said openings in at least one direc- 8, A toy as deiined in claim 3. including inter..

7i gein'gl Stop meanston said pegiboard elements sindl said. pegs'. for limitingvertical movement of said-pegs .in said openings in either direction,` so

as to prevent withdrawal 0f said pegs from the toy..

9. A toyas defined in claim 8in which said stopv means consists ofr Vertical groovein the side of asaid peg, and a' stop elements carried by a said pegboard element and projecting therefrom into a said Vertical groove, said stop element beingengageablerwith the ends of said Vertical groove to limit :vertical movement of., said peg in either di; rection..

HUGO L. SWIRKAL;v

8. REFERENCES CITED The following Areferencesare of record-inthe flefof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTSQ 

